


Spilled Paint

by lanalucy



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Awkward Tension, Comment Fic, Community: bsg_epics, Cross-Posted on LiveJournal, Gen, Painting, School, Students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 08:02:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5120951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanalucy/pseuds/lanalucy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Theme: Creation<br/>Prompt: We see Kara painting in the show, and the series bible says that Laura used to paint. Something to do with that. <i>buildaroadandgo</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Spilled Paint

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to singerdiva for her Laura expertise and her curiosity about how older kids might wonder about Laura's reputation as Madame Airlock.
> 
> It's also a belated birthday gift for she who shall remain unknown. xo

"People! Come to attention, please." Laura waited until the children had settled down, then gestured. "This is Kara Thrace. Ms. Th-"

"You can call me Starbuck."

Laura continued with a stern glare. "Ms. _Thrace_ is here today to show us some drawing and painting." She looked around the tent. "Please gather into groups of three or four, and we'll begin."

Maya and Laura helped the kids rearrange the tables into groups as Kara watched. When she rejoined Kara at the front of the room, Kara hissed, "Why can't they call me Starbuck?"

"It's inappropriate. If you prefer, they can call you Miss Kara."

Kara rolled her eyes. "Gods, no. Miss Kara. Frak. Fine."

Laura nodded, keeping her smirk to herself. "Ms. Thrace, if you'd begin."

Kara went into her spiel, showing the students some of her drawing tablets, the colors she'd found in the local flora, and the kids went to work. She walked around the room, praising attempts, helping kids with the right grip or with shading the edges of a drawing.

At the end of the session, Laura was thrilled with the students' progress, and patted herself on the back. She'd been totally right about Kara. She was a natural teacher, and not just Viper pilots.

~*~*~*~*~

Kara went back for another session with Laura's kids, and brought canvases and easels. She'd made the easels herself, so they were rougher than she wanted them to be, and she'd had to stretch the canvas herself out of local materials. But it was a start.

Each group worked on a painting together, and she was amazed at how well the kids shared. She didn't remember them being so kind when she'd been in school.

As she made her way around the room, she stopped behind Laura. She'd obviously had some classes, or else she was a natural. Kara went back to the front of the room and dug into the bag on Laura's desk. She brought a couple of jars with her - new colors she'd been experimenting with.

One of the kids jostled Kara just as she opened the jar, and the paint dripped down Laura's shirt. The room melted into frozen silence, and she watched as consternation rose in Laura's face. Laura's hand rose toward Kara. She could feel the tension from some of the older students, the sense of 'Well, frak. People have been airlocked for less.'

Kara flinched and Laura's eyes widened. She winked at Kara as her paint-dipped fingers completed their journey. Kara stood there stunned when Laura colored her cheek with the watery paint. Kara's face froze, then she laughed as she recognized what Laura was doing, and she raised her fingers to Laura's forehead and painted a stripe straight down her nose to her chin.

Laura giggled and the students started chattering again. She walked around the room with a paintbrush, dipping it into her shirt and dotting students faces with little dabs of color. 

The mood lightened, and Kara took a deep breath and relaxed her stomach. This wasn't like her school at all. This Laura Roslin wasn't Madame Airlock. Maybe next time, she should suggest fingerpainting.


End file.
